Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a layout element arranging device for arranging layout elements having directions such as characters, illustrations, still images and moving images, a layout element arranging method for the layout element arranging device, a layout element arranging program which makes a computer perform a process of the layout element arranging method, a computer readable recording medium having recorded therein the layout element arranging program, and an electronic apparatus.
FIG. 16 shows a layout element arranging method of the related art, and FIG. 17 shows a path direction used for arranging the layout elements. To facilitate the explanation and understanding of the layout element arranging method of the related art, it is assumed that four successive motion images 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d are arranged in a space 100 such as a computer display and a print paper for printers, as shown in FIG. 16. The images 101a to 101d represent a short-distance race one after another, and indicate ‘START’, ‘TUMBLE’, ‘RECOVER’ and ‘GOAL’, respectively. In addition, the images 101a to 101d are specified by the above motions or have estimated moving directions, respectively. For example, the image 101a representing a player that starts to move toward the right side has a ‘RIGHT’ direction and the image 101c representing a player that continuously moves toward the left side has a ‘LEFT’ direction.
In the layout element arranging method of the related art, a path 201 is used as shown in FIG. 17. Here, the path includes seven arranging points 202a to 202g that exist in a space 200 corresponding to the space 100 shown in FIG. 16. The arrangement point described herein is a relay point (pass point) or an end point constituting a path. The path 201 has one direction for improving a feeling of being, liveliness and truthfulness to be reproduced by a plurality of successive layout elements totally and sequentially, and more specifically, has a reverse-N shaped direction. In addition, each of the arrangement points 202a to 202g has a direction, and more specifically, has a direction of tangential line at each point of the end points and the relay points of the path 201. For example, the arrangement point 202a has a ‘DOWN’ direction and the arrangement point 202f also has a ‘DOWN’ direction.
In the layout element arranging method of the related art, four images 101a to 101d are arranged in the space 100 along the path direction 201, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. More specifically, the image 101a is arranged at the arrangement point 202a, the image 101b is arranged at the arrangement point 202b, the image 101c is arranged at the arrangement point 202f, and the image 101d is arranged at the arrangement point 202g. 